Elba: the majestic Little Tuscany September 16, 2012 IN THE summer, the British head for Tuscany, lured by the classic Italian combination of sun, scenery, fine food and wine. But the Italians themselves head for sleepy Elba, “Tuscany’s island”, with its 150 spotless beaches, romantic villages and breathtaking mountains. Although is a National Park of outstanding natural beauty, tiny Elba is perhaps best [...]
Jubilee holiday and Olympics help John Lewis September 13, 2012 JOHN Lewis Partnership yesterday revealed that it enjoyed a strong start to the year as first-half profits jumped by 59.8 per cent to £144.5m but said consumer demand remained “fragile”. Gross sales for the six months to July were up 8.7 per cent at £3.9bn, which the firm attributed to capitalising on major events such [...]
Imagination Technology hit on mixed day for Apple suppliers September 13, 2012 IMAGINATION Technologies, the British firm that designs graphics chips for smartphones including Apple’s iPhone, saw its share price fall yesterday despite Wednesday night’s launch of the iPhone 5. The firm warned that average royalty rates had been hit by increasing sales of low-end smartphones, and warned of “uncertainty over timing [of new revenues], particularly given [...]
Nintendo up as Wii U ready for Christmas boost September 13, 2012 NINTENDO yesterday announced that its next generation Wii U video game console will be released in time for Christmas, as it aims to get a head start on rivals Sony and Microsoft. The Japanese company – which reported its first annual loss in its 123-year history this year as sales of its current Wii console [...]
Apple hits back at competition with iPhone 5 September 12, 2012 APPLE last night revealed a thinner and more powerful version of the iPhone, as the world’s biggest company sought to wrestle back the initiative from rival smartphone makers. Chief executive Tim Cook took the stage at the first launch of Apple’s most profitable product since Steve Jobs’ death to say Apple was “stronger than ever”, [...]
Boujis set for October launch in Hong Kong September 12, 2012 BANKERS trying to escape the economic gloom in London by heading to Asia can finally party in the style to which they have become accustomed. Boujis, the eponymous Chelsea night club beloved of Princes William and Harry, is launching a Hong Kong branch next month. Pledging to showcase the “best of the East with the [...]
Wall St flat as awaits action September 12, 2012 WALL STREET ended little changed yesterday, erasing early gains, as investors turned cautious before a Federal Reserve decision on another round of monetary stimulus to boost the economy. Stocks got a lift early after Germany’s constitutional court approved the new Eurozone rescue fund, which will allow the European Central Bank to buy sovereign bonds in [...]
The lowdown September 12, 2012 Apple yesterday gave iPhone fanboys plenty to geek out about. The most noticeable change on the iPhone 4S is the bigger screen, which has switched to a 16:9 ratio, the same as widescreen TVs, designed to improve the experience of watching movies on the go. This will also add an extra “row” of icons to [...]
Did Apple just release the iPhone 4SS? September 12, 2012 As if Tim Cook didn’t have enough on his plate. Not only is he following in the footsteps of one of the most revered chief executives of all time, one who is now safely ensconced in the ground where he can never tarnish his image as the greatest technological innovator of his generation; not only [...]
Smartphones: the rivals September 12, 2012 Samsung Galaxy SIII The Galaxy SIII may be embroiled in Samsung’s patent dispute with Apple, but what is not in question is the quality of the handset. With a gigantic 4.8 inch screen, a 1.4GHz quadcore processor and an upcoming update to the latest version of Google’s Android operating system, this is the biggest challenger [...]